The hottest period in Element City arrived as expected.
The blazing sun hanging high in the sky made people hesitant to even look at it. The scorching temperature caused the flowers and plants to wilt from dehydration, losing their usual lively vitality.
Shen Hanyu sat under the evergreen tree. On the small table beside him were fruits and beverages. He picked up a room-temperature drink, lightly brushing his fingers over it, and frost immediately formed on the cup. The surrounding air also became much cooler.
Shen Liuyu had changed into a silver dress, her plump and fair calves exposed to the air, radiating an alluring youthful charm.
Shui Bing'er was still wearing her blue long dress, but unusually, her hair was not loosely scattered as usual; instead, it was tied up, making her look quite different for a moment.
Shui Yue'er wore her blue short skirt as before, with no real change in style, though the fabric was noticeably thinner and lighter.
Shen Hanyu finished his drink and casually brushed aside the stray hairs on his forehead. His deep, spirited eyes seemed to hide an ocean, profoundly mysterious.
After setting down the cup, he rested his chin on one hand and looked at the three girls, Shen Liuyu, Shui Bing'er, and Shui Yue'er, before speaking:
"I'm leaving tomorrow for a while. I'm not sure exactly how long, but it definitely won't exceed a year. I'll leave all the keys here to you. When you have time, come take care of the flowers and plants, and clean up a bit. How does that sound?"
Shen Liuyu was stunned for a moment, then pouted unhappily and said:
"Leaving again? Brother, you just settled down for a short while. Are you really that busy?"
Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er also looked over with some expectation.
Having spent a lot of time with Shen Hanyu, they had long grown accustomed to his presence as an all-knowing figure. At least, they still retained their girlish sensitivity and were particularly attuned to the idea of separation.
Shen Hanyu helplessly waved his hand and explained:
"No choice. Recently, I've felt on the verge of breaking through to Soul Sage, so I need to go out and acquire a soul ring. At the same time, I have to fulfill a promise to an elder predecessor. It won't take too long. If something else delays me, then I can't say for sure..."
Seeing that Shen Hanyu didn't look like he was joking, Shen Liuyu could only nod helplessly. She gazed at him resentfully, looking like a wronged little package.
Shui Bing'er didn't speak, but Shui Yue'er asked curiously:
"Brother Yu, where are you planning to get your seventh soul ring? Do you want my aunt to help? And who is this elder predecessor you mentioned?"
Shen Hanyu stood up, rubbed the little girl's head, and said with amusement:
"Little kids who know too much won't grow tall, you know. Yue'er, are you sure you want to know?"
Shui Yue'er squinted comfortably, then nodded firmly.
Shen Hanyu sighed and said:
"I've already found my seventh soul ring a long time ago, so you don't need to worry—there's no danger at all. As for that elder predecessor, I can't reveal his name, but you only need to know that he is a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse."
The three girls were stunned and let out surprised exclamations, finding it hard to believe.
Shen Liuyu tugged at Shen Hanyu's arm, worriedly saying:
"Brother, where did you meet a Titled Douluo-level elder? Could it be..."
Shen Hanyu patted her hand to reassure her and explained:
"I have a deal with that elder predecessor. He's a very trustworthy person, someone worth believing in. Our relationship is also good, so rest assured, there won't be any danger."
Shui Bing'er sat to the side and sighed softly. She had originally thought her aunt's Soul Douluo level was already very high, at least there weren't many Soul Douluo-level experts left on the continent these days, yet she never imagined that Shen Hanyu actually knew a Titled Douluo, and their relationship was quite close.
She was curious about which Titled Douluo it was, but matters at that level were far beyond what they could casually inquire about. Even if they knew, it might not be entirely beneficial and could even bring new troubles.
Shui Yue'er was somewhat dazed. Shen Hanyu's words nearly overloaded her little brain, but she eventually managed to recover...
After chatting simply with them a bit more, until Shen Hanyu nearly pried out how many pairs of underwear he was bringing on this trip, they finally wrapped up.
Having settled these matters, Shen Hanyu specially talked with Shen Liuyu for a while longer, arranging all the big and small affairs properly before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
...
Early the next morning, Shen Hanyu set off on his journey.
To save time, he didn't even bother with a carriage this time. Instead, he spent a large sum to buy a hundred-year-old unicorn horse and rode it straight toward Tiandou City.
Tianmeng lay lazily in the mental space, watching as more than forty percent of the sealed energy had already been absorbed by Shen Hanyu. He nodded in satisfaction.
The remaining energy was enough to cause another explosive increase in Shen Hanyu's cultivation. This accumulation of nearly a million years was truly priceless, sufficient to create a true legend in history.
Shen Hanyu was also considering this matter. After thinking for a long time, he finally asked in his mental sea:
"Tianmeng, how difficult is it for you now to truly break through to the million-year level?"
Tianmeng thought carefully upon hearing this, then seriously replied:
"Bro's energy and spirit power are already more than sufficient—it's just missing an opportunity, a trigger that can truly allow Bro to transform."
Shen Hanyu's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked:
"What if you absorbed some ice-attribute divine power? Would you have confidence in breaking through?"
Tianmeng was stunned for a moment, then nodded repeatedly in the mental sea and said:
"Don't say more! If there's something like that, forget breaking through to a million years, Bro believes that then Bro could swagger right back to the Far North and formally make Bingbing my wife..."
A smile appeared at the corner of Shen Hanyu's mouth, and another heavy burden lifted from his heart.
As for the opinions of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, Shen Hanyu had full confidence.
In this era, their consciousnesses should still be relatively clear and not yet completely dissipated in the river of time.
The two of them harbored deep hatred toward the gods and desperately wished to rebuild the glory of the dragon clan and the spirit beast race. Their loyalty to their beliefs would make the choice for them. He only needed to focus on that aspect, he had plenty of conditions and bargaining chips to convince them.
His attitude toward the spirit beast race remained neutral. If the spirit beast race was willing to support him, he wouldn't slaughter innocents indiscriminately and could even provide them with some assistance before and after becoming a god. But if not, he wouldn't mind slaughtering the entire Star Dou Great Forest in the future to harvest life energy for breaking through the barrier after Extreme Douluo.
As dusk fell, a gentle evening breeze blew by. The orange sunset glow fell upon Shen Hanyu, giving him an indescribably spirited and ambitious appearance.
Shen Hanyu gazed into the distant horizon and finally could only whisper a prayer:
"I hope tomorrow will be better..."